The VISOR, acronym for Visual Instrument and Sensory OrganReplacement, was a medical device used in the Federation to aid patients who had suffered loss of eyesight or who were born blind. The VISOR detected electromagnetic signals across the entire EM spectrum between 1 Hz and 100,000 THz and transmitted those signals to the brain through neural implants in the temples of the individual via delta-compressed wavelengths. A bank of preprocessors uses a pulse compression routine to compress the data stream into pulses so that it doesn't overload the senses. (TNG: "The Masterpiece Society") The result was a vastly different visual acuity, with VISOR-wearers able to see in the infrared and ultraviolet ranges and beyond. To Human eyes with good vision, the images relayed through the VISOR could seem disorienting and unfamiliar. (TNG: "Heart of Glory", "The Enemy", "The Mind's Eye")

According to the script of TNG: "Identity Crisis", La Forge wore "a slightly different, earlier version of his VISOR" in 2362 while still serving on the USS Victory. It is a little hard to see in the few scenes that show La Forge during that year, but it seems that he is wearing another VISOR in the episode. His VISOR in 2362 was completely silver in contrast to the two versions he regularly wore in the series, each of which had silver bands and golden tines.

La Forge once joked that he could see through a certain type of playing card, while explaining to Worf how he knew his cards. La Forge then dismissed the joke, though, stating that he only peeked at the cards after the hand was over. (TNG: "Ethics")

The VISOR inadvertently caused several problems as well. Using it caused La Forge physical pain, a result of his natural senses conflicting with the artificial sensory input from the device. Dr.Beverly Crusher offered him the options of either painkillers or exploratory surgery to desensitize the areas of his brain that were being affected, but La Forge declined both because they would interfere with the operation of the VISOR itself. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") When Romulans kidnapped La Forge in 2367, they were able to use his existing neural implants to tap directly into his visual cortex and secretly brainwash him. As the VISOR was capable of receiving E-band emissions, a collaborator was able to remotely control the brainwashed La Forge with an E-band transmitter. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")

The idea of the VISOR was thought up by David Gerrold, who also suggested La Forge's blindness. "I envisioned Geordi La Forge with some kind of eye treatment; maybe just a couple of enlarged lenses that you put over the actor's eyes," he recalled. (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, pp. 98-99)

It was Michael Westmore, Jr. who proposed having connection points on the sides of La Forge's head, which was done using light-emitting diodes. His father, Make-Up Supervisor Michael Westmore, later recalled, "The idea for Geordi's LEDs came out of a conversation I had with my son as we walked across the Paramount lot to the production office. Michael, who had worked for me a few times in the past, thought we should have an interesting effect to indicate the contact point [....] So Mike, Jr. built a pair of little metal attachments that had flat bottoms and could be glued to Levar Burton's makeup. They had wires running through LeVar's hair and down the back of his neck to a small battery pack underneath his arm." (Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts, p. 70)

A tiny filament stretching from the VISOR prop to behind LeVar Burton's ear was used to keep the prop attached to his face. By looking closely at some episodes, including "Home Soil", the filament can be seen.

In 2016, pop singer Rihanna (in collaboration with French fashion label Dior) developed a line of sunglasses inspired by La Forge's VISOR. She commented, "I've always been obsessed with his [La Forge's] eye wear." [2]